


Disproportionate Sacrifices

by bananamoop



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Automail, Brotherly Love, Crime Fighting, Disability, Ed gets drunk in the first chapter lmao, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Father Figures, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Happy Ending, Human Transmutation, Kidnapping, Murder Mystery, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Serial Killers, Torture, idk what to put but i feel like i need more tags, pre-promised day, team mustang are ed and als parents, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:40:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22452808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bananamoop/pseuds/bananamoop
Summary: Hughes sighed, “People have been going missing. The only connection between the victims is that they are all minor alchemists. Nothing too fancy, just people who had a passing knowledge of the subject. What’s concerning is that bodies are starting to turn up. Some missing limbs, others missing entire organs. It’s always a clean cut, but they’re different than surgical wounds. Nothing out there saws through bone like that… We have suspicions that the killer is an alchemist.”“You don’t mean-” Alphonse started.“There’s no evidence of it yet,” Roy said, “But we can assume someone is trying to commit human transmutation, if they haven't already.”**ABANDONED**
Comments: 22
Kudos: 95





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> owo whats this? an fma fic? yessir i am going to sit here and write about an anime that is over a decade old because it is the best story i have ever had the pleasure of consuming. this one might be on the long side (if i stay committed to writing it lmao) so please stick around!
> 
> Writing Ed was a lot harder than i thought it would be, especially because a lot of his personality is in the way he talks in (somewhat informal) japanese. I tried to infuse more country bumpkin in him, i feel like a lot of people tend to forget he's a rowdy country boy lmao
> 
> EDIT: in the original chapter 1, everyone was still in east city. this was a mistake, the story takes place in central!

Their recent investigation on yet another Philosopher's stone rumor had been a bust. Rumors of an individual creating sentient dolls was, in reality, a human trafficking operation. One that dealt exclusively with Xingese girls. In recent years people from Xing had slowly started to cross the Eastern Desert, mostly people whose clans had no hope in gaining any power anytime soon. As immigration increased, so did the number of crimes against those people. It made Ed’s blood boil, seeing people taken advantage of. People who are just trying to live happily. 

Ed had arrested the serial kidnapper and talked his way out of revealing the identities of the victims. They had been immediately taken in and integrated into the town. As far as the military knew, there were no illegal immigrants in Giyior. 

The train reached Central late Sunday evening. The brothers made their way toward the barracks. Reports were due 48 hours after their return. Ed planned to use every bit of that time catching up on his sleep, as well as his mental health. Once they were inside their room, the brothers quickly started tidying up the room with the help of alchemy. Ed clapped and placed his hand on his bed sheets. The dust and dirt promptly gathered into a ball. Ed tossed the ball into the waste bin on the side of his bed, undressed down to his underclothes, and heaved himself into bed. The mission had taken more of a toll on his body than he initially thought. He had definitely fucked up his automail leg somehow in the altercation with the gang. It felt stiffer as he walked, and the usual ache had grown just enough to be noticeable. Winry was going to give him hell for it… The girls he rescued had been around her age, none of them couldn’t have been older than 16. He hoped to himself that Winry was safe from human trafficking in Rush Valley. He reminded himself that she was in good hands, and drifted off to sleep. 

* * *

The next morning Ed became annoyed when he learned the only pressing matter on his personal To-Do list was his report to the Colonel. There weren’t even chores to be done. Ed either bought his meals from local take out shops or ate at the chow hall, and he and Alphonse had cleaned their room before going to bed last night. With a sigh he sat down and wrote his report. Human trafficking of young women, threat neutralized and handed over the local authorities, no sign of anything that could contribute to his research.   
He and Al walked to Headquarters and made their way to Mustang’s office late that afternoon. 

“Mornin’ Ed!” Havoc called from his desk. 

“Mornin’. Is the bastard in?” Ed asked. Before he could get an answer he was at the door. He had been hearing a muffled conversation through the door since he stepped into the office. Without knocking, Ed swung the door open and walked inside, report in hand. 

“Got your report here, no stone.” 

“Ed-” Mustang began.

“Edward! How’ve you been?” Hughes interrupted, “You should come over tonight for dinner! I’ll tell Gracia to make extra, and you have to see how big my darling Elicia has gotten.”

Hughes stood up from where he was sitting on the couch and walked over to the boys. Ed noticed his cane and felt a pang of worry in his chest. Hughes must be having a hard day if he was using it. The assassination attempt on the older man had nearly been successful, and put him in a coma for several weeks. Though the majority of the time he was perfectly fine, on particularly bad days, Hughes used a cane to help him balance. Ed wondered if he had suffered a flare up recently. His thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of being pulled into a big hug. He’d never admit it, but he loved when Hughes hugs him. It’s was a nice feeling. 

“Are you doing ok Hughes?” Ed said, pulling away. 

Hughes gave a nervous chuckled as he hugged Al, “I had a minor seizure last night, nothing too extreme,” He pulled away from Al, “I’ll be good as new in no time.” He returned to his spot on the couch. 

“I told him to take care of himself, but apparently he’s been staying late at the office.” Mustang chided. He sighed and opened his hand for the report. Ed stood in silence while Mustang went to work deciphering Ed’s handwriting. 

“No stone?”

“Nothn’” 

“That is unfortunate...” Mustang said, “I have another assignment, if you’re up for it. Another kidnapping case, this time it’s here in Central.” 

“More human trafficking?” Ed asked. Mustang looked at his subordinate. The previous mission had gotten to him. He could tell when Ed was getting to the end of his rope. The boy looked dead on his feet. 

“You can go home and take a day, Fullmetal. I’ll have the assignment ready for you when you return on Wednesday.” 

“I was just about to head out as well, what do you say we swing by your room and grab your things before heading over to my place?” Hughes stood up and leaned on his cane before stabilizing himself better. 

“Let me give you a ride home.” Roy said. 

“That would be great! Why don’t you join us too, Roy? Gracia has been asking about you.”

The four of them walked to the barracks. Hughes filled the air with stories about his wife and daughter. It made Ed smile. He was excited to see all of them and enjoy dinner together. The brothers grabbed their things and loaded into Mustang’s car. To Ed’s surprise Roy’s driving had improved since he was last in the car with him, which was saying something. Flame was notorious for a plethora of things. One of those things happened to be his infamously horrendous driving.

“I didn’t know old dogs could actually learn how to drive.” Ed mused.

“At least I can see over the steering wheel.” 

“You mother-”

“Hey! I think Gracia is making pork tonight, you boys sure picked the right time to come home.”

Ed stopped, “I guess we did.” he said with a nervous laugh. 

Home. Was Central his home? Was Hughes’s family? He certainly liked being with them, but they weren’t home. They didn’t have a home, he made sure of that personally.

“Why have you been stressed, Mr.Hughes?” Alphonse asked. 

“Well you see…” Hughes sighed, “People have been going missing. The only connection between the victims is that they are all minor alchemists. Nothing too fancy, just people who had a passing knowledge of the subject. What’s concerning is that bodies are starting to turn up. Some missing limbs, others missing entire organs. It’s always a clean cut, but they’re different than surgical wounds. Nothing out there saws through bone like that… We have suspicions that the killer is an alchemist.” 

“You don’t mean-” Alphonse started.

“There’s no evidence of it yet,” Roy said, “But we can assume someone is trying to commit human transmutation, if they haven’t already.” 

* * *

Having dinner with Hughes and his family was fun, even if the bastard was there. It was rare that he saw Mustang in a more casual setting. After Elicia had gone to bed the adults had fixed themselves some drinks and moved to the living room. Hughes and Gracia shared a love seat, the man’s arm draped around his wife. She leaned her head into his neck in response. Roy had settled himself on the edge closest to his friend while Ed took the other end. Alphonse opted to sit in the remaining living room chair. They shared work stories and discussed local happenings. What businesses were moving in, which ones were moving out, Gracia commented on the latest trends the other women were talking about.

‘So that’s where Mustang gets his information on women.’ Ed thought to himself. 

“-right Ed?” 

“Huh?” 

“You’ve never tried alcohol.” Hughes said. Ed noticed Roy had gotten up to make more drinks for everyone.

“There was one time, back when me and Al were training with Teacher. I had gotten slashed during sparring practice and needed stitches.” Ed recollected

“I remember that! Sid had you drink two little cups of alcohol before he sewed it shut.” Alphonse said. 

“It was disgusting.”

“It seemed to help at the time, though.” 

“That is true…”

The boys looked up. Hughes studied them with a concerned look on his face. It quickly faded into a genuine smile. If the older man was still worrying, he wasn’t showing it. 

“Roy! Is there anything over there that you can use to mix something for the lad?” 

“Are you suggesting I serve my underage subordinate alcohol?” Mustang said mischievously, “Do I need to cut _you_ off Maes?” 

“Hell no! It isn’t everyday I get to drink your drinks. In fact, give my thanks to the Madame next time you see her.”

Roy chuckled and walked back with four drinks balanced on his hands. After handing out Gracia and Maes’s refills, he turned to Ed and handed him a glass. 

“What’s this?”

“Spiked orange juice.” 

Roy turned and sat on the couch. Something about it stuck out to Ed. He noticed it when Roy was serving the drinks too. Roy was moving elegantly, like he was one of those fancy waiters. It also helped that he had removed the outer layers of his uniform. All that was left was a loose fitting dress shirt that was tucked into his blue work pants, his waist cape abandoned along with the rest of the uniform. He had rolled up his sleeves early on in the night. Somewhere along the way he had undone a few buttons. 

Ed took a sip of the drink he had been handed. The sweetness of the juice had been interrupted with what he could only assume was the alcohol. It was a weird taste. He almost labeled it as bitter, but there was a slight burn to it that stopped Ed from categorizing the flavor right away. It wasn’t strong enough that it was overwhelming, but the punch was still there. He finished his sip and thought about the taste some more.

“How is it Ed? Your first proper drink?” Hughes asked.

“Interesting. Not as painful as I remember.” 

“Of course, my drinks will always be better than plain old shots.” Roy preened. 

“How do you know how to make drinks anyway?” Ed asked. He took another sip of his drink. 

“Oh you don’t know? Roy grew up in a bar!” Hughes said. 

Ed nearly choked on his drink.

As the night progressed Ed felt himself unwind and become more talkative. Instead of just witnessing the conversation, he became an active part of it. He laughed easier and forgot the stress of the previous mission. It was nice. He and Roy bantered back at each other, and at one point started throwing around alchemical theories. Edward’s chattiness extended to his brother as well. For Alphonse, all it took to get him to loosen up was seeing that his brother had relaxed and was having a good time. 

“Ahhh.. I need to take a leak.” Ed excused himself and stood up. He was able to get passed the coffee table between everyone before he was hit with a dizzy spell. His stiff leg wasn’t helping his balance either. 

“Oop.” Ed giggled and fell. He buckled his legs and let his hip cushion his fall. 

“Brother?” Alphonse stood up. 

Hughes was already at Ed’s side, helping him sit up, “Geez Roy, how much did you give him?” There wasn’t any spite behind the question. It was fatherly concern more than anything. 

“Not much at all. Couldn’t have been more than two shots.” Mustang said with a puzzled look on his face.

“So this is what Winry meant, haha.” Ed huffed.

“Whatcha mean, Ed?” Hughes asked. 

The two settled onto the floor, “Winry ‘mentiond once that, uhh, that somthn’ or other about havn’ less blood ‘nd thatd’ I’d not do drinks too well.” 

“Your automail makes you a lightweight.” Roy realized.

“Well at least you’ll drink for cheap. Come on, up you go.” Hughes said. In one motion Hughes stood up while pulling Ed onto his feet as well.

“Oop.” It was Hughes this time who had fallen backwards, “I guess I’m a bit more off balance today than I thought.” 

“I think it’s time to call it a night anyways.” Gracia spoke up with a smile on her face. She handed her husband his cane and helped him from the floor. 

“Help yourself to the couch if you want, Roy.” Gracia offered.

“G’night everyone!” Hughes said, using his cane and leaning on his wife. The two retreated to their bedroom for the night.

“Up you go Fullmetal.” Roy sighed. He grabbed his subordinate under the arm and hoisted him up. Ed grumbled, but didn’t deny the help. 

“Honestly brother, you should have known this would happen.” Alphonse said.

“It’ssnot like I wus planin’ on ths.” Ed said. He wasn’t so drunk that he couldn’t walk, but using Roy as a crutch made it easier on his automail leg. 

“Quit talking like a bumpkin and get to bed.” Roy said.

“Fiiiine.” Ed responded. Roy saw the boys to the spare bedroom. Ed got to work stripping down to his underwear. Once he was done, he sat on the floor next to Al and inspected his leg. He’d have to stop by somewhere tomorrow and get oil for it. If it didn’t get better after that, he’d give her a call. 

There was a knock on the door, “You decent?” It was the bastard. 

“More or less.” Ed called back. 

Roy entered the room. There was a big glass of water in one of his hands and what Ed assumed to be a couple of pills in the other.

“Drink some of this before you go to sleep. Knowing you, you were probably already dehydrated before we drank tonight.” 

“So?” 

“This might come as a surprise Fullmetal, but I care about you enough to at least try to save you from a headache tomorrow morning. Take these if you do have one, and get some rest while you’re at it.” 

“Aight.”

Once Mustang left, Ed drank half of the water in the cup and got into bed.

"G'night, Al."

"G'night, brother."


	2. Rainy Days and Aching Muscles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed attends to his automail and is given his next assignment.   
> He makes a decision: Alphonse cannot be involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter two was getting ridiculously long, so I split it in two! Here's the first half!  
> NOTE: in the original chapter 1, everyone was still in east city. this was a mistake, the story takes place in central!

Ed woke up the next morning to the sound of Elicia and Alphonse playing together and the smell of breakfast. He stretched, still under the covers, and yawned. The bed he slept in at the Hughes’s was perfect, and was topped with a big fluffy comforter. Ed hoisted himself out of bed and let himself dramatically slouch to the floor. He began his morning stretch routine, beginning with his legs and ending at his neck. When he was finished he picked up last night’s clothes and gave them a thoughtful sniff. He decided they were still good and put them on. He grabbed the glass of water and pills Roy had given him the previous night. His head ached slightly, but not enough to take the medicine. He finished off the glass of water and carried it with him out of the room. 

“Good morning Miss Gracia.” Ed said as he walked into the kitchen. After putting the glass in the sink, he walked over to see what she was cooking. Scrambled eggs, sausage, flapjacks, and there was fresh fruit already set out on the table. 

“You’re just in time for breakfast. Go round up the others so we can eat, ok?” Gracia said. 

Ed gave Gracia the pills and gathered Alphonse and Gracia and sent them to the table.

“Where’s Hughes?” Ed asked. 

“He left for work earlier this morning with the Colonel.” Alphonse said.

“Ah.” Ed said. 

After breakfast the brothers thanked Mrs.Hughes for the hospitality and began their day. The first thing on the boys’ agenda was making a stop at the closest automail shop for oil. The small pipette that Winry had given him had been dry for a handful of weeks now, and he was in desperate need of some grease. There weren’t many places in Central that carried automail supplies. The closest one to headquarters was about a 30 minute walk. Going from the Hughes’s would take an extra 20 minutes. They’d pass the office on the way.

The weather was working against them as well. The sky threatened to rain on them at any moment. The pressure was intense on Ed’s ports. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t handled before, but the dull ache combined with the ache he was already experiencing in his leg was less than ideal. Ed had developed a limp by the time they had reached the store. It wasn’t too bad, but it didn’t go unnoticed either. Alphonse insisted on calling a cab for the journey back to HQ. Edward wasn’t happy to admit it was a good idea. The two bought what they needed- a tin of oil for Ed and armor polish for Al- called a cab, and went towards the office. 

During the taxi ride, Ed took out the tin of oil he bought. It was a little less than a pint worth, typical for the cheaper brands. There was a screw cap to one side of the square tin. He could attempt to pour some oil onto the cap and pipe it from there, but it made more sense for him to transmute a spout for it out of something in the office. Maybe there was a spare letter opener somewhere he could use as material. At the end of the ride, Ed made sure to tip the driver well and fix any scratches Al’s armor had caused. 

“Hey chief, hey Alphonse.” Breda said as the brothers entered the room.

“Hello everyone.” Alphonse greeted.

Ed mumbled a greeting and made a beeline for Mustang’s office. 

“Is he ok?” Feury asked.

“Brother’s fine, he’s just hurting today.” Al explained. Mustang’s team looked amongst each other with worry in their eyes. 

Ed had flopped on the couch as soon as he entered Mustang’s office. He put the oil tin on the wooden coffee table and propped his leg up next to it. Ed stretched his arm so that it rested along the back of the couch, tilted his head back, and sighed. 

“Did your head give you any troubles this morning, Fullmetal?” 

“Nothin’ I couldn’t handle, Colonel Bastard.” 

“... And the rest of you?”

“Just givin’ me a bit more trouble than usual.”

“Do you need to take the day?”

“Nah. What’s my next assignment?” 

Roy leaned back in his chair with a paper in his hand, “You’re being put on Hughes’s case as an alchemy consultant.” 

Ed’s stomach dropped, “The human transmutation one?” 

“Yes.” Roy confirmed. 

Ed sighed and closed his eyes. It’s fine if he helps with the case, but he didn’t want Al around that stuff. He didn’t need to be reminded about human transmutation, or anything like it. Witnessing Nina had already been too much for him to see. It made Ed sick that his little brother was seeing all that fucked up shit. He was the one who signed up for it, not Al. He didn’t deserve to be exposed to shit like that. 

“Alright,” Ed said after a minute, “but Al stays far away from the case. He doesn’t need to know the gruesome details.” 

He must have fallen asleep after that, because the next time he opened his eyes someone was standing over him and he could hear rain pattering against the building. 

“Edward.”

“Hm?” He lifted his head and groaned. He was stiff from being splayed out on Mustang’s couch for so long. He slowly returned to a natural position and rubbed his face. He yawned and stretched as much as his body would allow before it rallied against him. When he was finished from hist little routine he looked up. Hawkeye. Ed startled slightly when he saw her, but quickly settled when he noticed that she didn’t seem annoyed by the fact that he had taken a nap. 

“You were asleep for a little less than an hour. It’s currently 2:37.” Hawkeye beat Ed to the punch and answered before he had a chance to ask. 

“I have some material here about your assignment. Hughes is asking for you as well.” Hawkeye continued. 

“I better get going then.” Ed said. He stood up from the couch, took the papers from Hawkeye, and walked out of the inner office. 

“Do you feel better?” Alphonse asked upon seeing his brother. 

"I’m still a bit stiff to be honest, I can’t wait to take a hot bath tonight.” 

The two started walking to the investigation department. About halfway down the hallway, Ed heard his name. It was Hawkeye again, this time with the tin of oil in her hand. He must have left it on the coffee table in Mustang’s office. 

“Oh. Thanks.” Ed took the tin from Hawkeye, “I should probably go do this.” 

Hawkeye stood there for a moment with a conflicted expression on her face, however it quickly settled into confidence. 

“Do you need any help?” Hawkeye asked. The question came from a place of genuine care. She had seemed concerned earlier in the office too. 

Ed rolled his shoulders. He really was stiff. There was no way he’d be able to get to everything properly, and Alphonse wasn’t great with getting to the hard to reach spots either. 

“Yeah, actually. That’d be nice.” Ed said. 

The three of them found a conference room where they could get some privacy. Ed blushed. He hadn’t thought this far ahead. He was going to have to strip down to his underwear in front of Hawkeye. 

“I, uh, have to take off my clothes.” Ed said. He didn’t know it was possible for his face to feel this hot. 

“Oh. That’s ok, it’s not a big deal.” Hawkeye responded. It was nothing to her, she had seen plenty of soldiers half clothed during Ishval. She had already taken off her uniform coat and rolled up her sleeves in preparation. 

The three of them worked together on Ed’s automail. Hawkeye carefully poured some oil into the cap and sucked it up with the pipette, something that Ed nor Al had the fine motor skills for. Ed sat on the table and instructed Hawkeye on where to put the oil, and Alphonse reminded Ed of any places he forgot to mention. Hawkeye worked diligently. It wasn’t much different than lubricating her guns. Ed flinched when it came time to oil underneath his arm. His shoulder was always the biggest problem area on rainy days. He had the most scaring there, and it wasn’t pretty either. The scars were tough and knotted, and the port had been attached to several bones in his abdomen. Ed took over oiling the knuckles on his hand before they moved on. His leg was easier. He let it hang off the table and bent it at the knee and ankle before they started. The stress the weather put on his port made it more rigid than it had been that morning. The ache had gone from a bit more than normal to present, and it wanted him to know it. Hopefully the oil and hot bath would help ease it. Hawkeye finished quickly and stood up. She had the smile on her face that showed itself when she was proud of the work she had done. Ed fished around in his pocket for the handkerchief he kept on him for getting oil off things and handed it to her. 

“Thanks. I really appreciate the help.” Ed said. He blushed and put on his clothes. 

“Anytime, Edward. I’m glad you trusted me to help.” Hawkeye said. She was aware that him admitting to needing help wasn’t his strong suit, and the process of helping him with his automail was awkward for him. She had to admit, it felt nice knowing that Edward trusted her with something as important as this. Not only his automail, but being vulnerable as well. The boy had come a long way from when she first met him, without his automail, in that small house in Resembool. Her chest swelled with pride. He was growing up to be a wonderful young man. 

“It was nice of Hawkeye to help us.” Alphonse said as he and Ed walked down to investigations to meet Hughes. 

“Yeah.” Ed paused, “... Hey, Al?” 

“Hm?”

“This case is pretty nasty… I don’t want you involved.” Ed said with conviction in his voice. 

"Ed-”

“Alphonse, listen.. I don’t want you to be exposed to shit that you didn’t sign up to see. I need you to let me protect you from this. Please.” 

Al was silent for a moment. Whatever his brother was working on was bad. Ed doesn’t plead for his cooperation. He doesn’t ask for him to stay away in desperation. His brother doesn’t like it when they have to be apart.

“Ok.” Al responded.

“Thank you, Al.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes a family is a Colonel, his team, and two brothers.   
> EDIT: in the original chapter 1, everyone was still in east city. this was a mistake, the story takes place in central!
> 
> thank you for reading! please let me know your thoughts in the comments!


	3. The Case Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed learns more about the case and begins working on decoding an Alchemist's notes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! This is a shorter chapter to tide y'all over. Things really pick up in this one! I hope you like it <3

When they reached investigations, Ed instructed Al to wait outside for a moment as he talked to Hughes. Ed walked through the crowded office. He could hear papers shuffling, people murmuring about cases, and the occasional sound of a phone ringing. He weaved his way through people and desks to get to Hughes’s office in the back of the room. Ed knocked his knuckles on the door frame and stuck his head in. The older man was standing at the pinboard that had been made for the case. Next to him were two of his subordinates, one man and one woman. The sound caused all three of them to turn their heads. Hughes smiled as soon as he saw the boy. 

“Hello Edward!” Hughes called, “Thanks for the help.”

“No problem.” Ed said, “Can I ask a favor?”

“Sure, what is it?” Hughes asked. 

Ed explained the situation to Hughes. His brother wasn’t allowed to know about the case, and he needed to give him something to do in the meantime.

“Do you mind if Al stays with you? Helping Gracia with Elicia would give him something to focus on.” 

“Of course. I’m sure she would love to have the help. Let me give her a call and tell her Alphonse will be over shortly, how does that sound?” Hughes said. 

“Perfect. Thank you, Hughes.” Ed said gratefully. He left to tell Al to head over to the Hughes’s. Alphonse left without protest, said goodbye, and went on his way. When Ed returned Hughes and his team began debriefing him on the situation. 7 people had been kidnapped over the course of 9 months. It had taken some time before they put it together that all the people were alchemists. Most of them were minor alchemists, with a good enough general knowledge to make decent transmutations. The two more recent kidnappings had been people who not only knew the science, but had even specialized in it. One was working on using alchemy as a tool to aid in the process and configuration of automail. The other one was a vet who was researching how alchemy can manipulate the healing process. His colleague said that the victim hadn’t had the opportunity to test his theories before he was taken. Around 5 months ago, the first victim’s body had been found in the trunk of a car. It had been abandoned at the edge of the city with no license plates, and the person inside had been dead for about four months by the time they found them. Two more bodies were found a few weeks later, this time with injuries that could have been caused by alchemy. Limbs were cleanly severed on one, the other had been completely missing organs. They suspect more people had been killed. They either hadn’t found them, or they hadn’t been dumped somewhere yet. After Hughes finished debriefing the case, he introduced his subordinates. The young woman was 2nd Lieutenant Nona. She was on the taller side, with fair skin and black hair that had been french braided down the middle of her head and ended just past her shoulder blades. She wore round, delicate, wire frame glasses and a facial scar ran from above her left eyebrow to her cheek. The injury that caused it had been incredibly close to her eye. Ed wouldn’t be surprised if her eye had taken damage in whatever had caused a scar like that. The man was Warrant Officer Abram. He had dark skin and long black hair. It was worn in locks that he had tied up. He was about Hughes’s height, but he was the more muscular one of the two of them. 

The team worked on the case until late in the evening. The entire time they were focused on the case. Was there any connection they were missing? Where in the city did the people live? They combed back through interviews with the victim’s family and friends. Did they know any alchemists? Did the victim know any other alchemists? They needed to start talking to people again to gather more information. 

They worked on the case for the rest of the day. Brainstorming ideas and deciding whether to request to station more police to be stationed around the city. When they laid out all the relevant locations on a map, they noticed that the kidnapping locations skewed to the south east. A lead. Their next move would be to ask about places the victims’ frequented to see if there were any common locations. One of the theories was that the vet may have had notes on biological alchemy that extended past its medical applications. Ed had been tasked with confirming this theory by decoding the vet’s notes. They were encrypted within the medical reports of the patients in the form of notes, diagnoses, medical history, and sometimes even notes about the owner of the animal. The boy worked tirelessly on his objective. Throughout the day, he made several trips to the library to pick up books on veterinary practices and animal biology. He even put in a request to view Shou Tucker’s notes to see if there were any similarities. It made him nauseous to think about the possibility of someone else trying to attempt something in the realm of what Tucker did. He thought about finding Nina and confronting Tucker. He remembered what Tucker had said to him; they were the same. Both of them were guilty of sin. 

Ed stood up abruptly and rushed out of the room to get some fresh air. Night had already fallen. Ed walked down a few steps and sat in the dusk. He had to find this guy. He may have been a victim, but he was in the hands of someone who wanted information on biological alchemy. Someone who was killing people in the process. 

A gruesome thought wormed its way into Ed’s train of thought. In the end, Ed benefited from this crime. He would be able to read the criminal’s research and incorporate it into his own. He felt disgusted. Would Ed really use information that was obtained by kidnapping and killing people? He weighed it in his mind. It was wrong, but was it really ok to let that information get rejected when it could lead them closer to Al’s body? His brother had been suffering for years now, and if he didn’t know the details of the case, he might be able to sneak it in his own personal research. Yeah, he’d just have to make up an excuse to where he got the information. Ed’s heart began to pick up and his nausea grew. He would be lying to Alphonse. 

‘I have to do this, for Alphonse. He doesn’t need to know where the information came from. He doesn’t need to carry that burden.’ Ed thought to himself. 

Ed walked back to the office. He needed to decode these notes as soon as possible. The potential to find knowledge that would aid in their research was all Ed needed to fuel obsession. He returned to his desk and began hunting for repeated phrases in the material. After some time had passed, Hughes decided to pack up and head home. 

He remembers refusing to go home. He hadn’t been at a good stopping point in the notes, and he was just beginning to decode the most frequent phrase. He needed a little more time, and then he’d go home too. Everyone had said their goodbyes and slowly left. The very last officer to leave had asked Ed if he was going to leave soon. He had avoided the question. He was on a roll, and he couldn’t exactly take the work home where Alphonse could see it.

The phone at his desk rang around 10pm. It was Alphonse, telling Ed to come back to the Hughes’s. 

“You need to come rest, brother. Don’t make me come get you!” Alphonse had scolded.

“Alright, alright. You win, Al. I’ll start packing up now. I’ll see you soon, bye.” Ed said. He hung up the phone and haphazardly sorted the research so he could some back to where he left off tomorrow. 

Ed began the walk back to the Hughes’s. His thoughts were still deep in the research. Ed knew more about animals than the average person. A perk of growing up in the south, he guessed. Farm animals had been everywhere in Resembool. One summer a pig had given birth to a huge litter of piglets. The son of the Farmer happened to be in school with Ed and Al, so they got to go over and bottle feed one of the piglets. 

Most of the animals in the city, however, were pets. There were working dogs and barn cats in Resembool, sure, but no one there took them to a vet. The closest one was in the town over, and you only called him if one of your breeding cows was ill. 

Ed was at square one. He was having to teach himself veterinary sciences to get more insight on the deeper meaning within the notes. His work was definitely cut out for him. Alphonse was better at biology than him. He wished his brother could help him wi- 

All of the sudden there was a rag being pressed into Ed’s nose and mouth. Someone bigger than him had come from behind. He had grabbed Ed and pulled him tight to stop the boy from clapping his hands and limit damage caused by Ed’s thrashing. His assailant leaned against Ed, forcing the boy to plant his feet and carry the other man’s weight. The automail port on Ed’s left thigh screamed. Ed had gasped in surprise when he had initially been attacked. Whatever the rag had been soaked in was starting to take effect. Drowsiness washed through his head and took a hold of his consciousness. He was losing. He was being taken. He struggled to stay awake. Ed’s automail knee buckled, and everything went dark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how it was! Comments keep me alive, motivated, and tell me where I need to improve. Thanks for reading everyone <3


	4. Meeting the Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed wakes up and finds himself in an unfamiliar place. Where is he and who is responsible for this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're in deep now boys

Consciousness slowly returned to Ed. Whatever he had been drugged with was keeping him in a haze and preventing him from thinking clearly. Thoughts came to him slowly, and the process of executing those thoughts even more so. He began to take stock of where he was. It was dark, wherever he was. He was sitting on dry concrete, and it was cold. A basement, maybe. Ed tried moving so he could find out how he was being restrained. His left wrist was in a standard handcuff. He moved his arm to see how much room he had. The other end of the handcuff seemed to be attached to about a foot of chain that was securely attached to the ground. His right wrist was- 

Missing. As Ed focused what consciousness he had on his right side he became more and more aware that he was in pain. What started out as nothing more than a throbbing when he initially woke up had turned into searing nerve pain. He gasped and squeezed his face. Whoever had taken him had removed his automail, all of it, he realized. The same shooting pain was now making itself known in his leg. Ed let out another gasp and slumped to just left. He was stopped short by a tug and another wave of excruciating pain. His kidnapper had driven a stake into his shoulder port and chained Ed’s body to the wall so that his movement would be restricted even further. The initial tug from slumping over had aggravated the injury, and a steady stream of blood flowed from inside his port. Ed’s right leg was in the same situation as his left arm. It was stretched out in front of him, chained to the ground with a foot of lead. It was enough that he could plant his foot and readjust his weight. The port on his left leg dragged on the ground. It had been left untied, but not spared from having a stake drilled in it as well. He was still high from the drug, and even if he had sobered up enough to think clearly, the pain was preventing him from doing anything. He leaned his head back and began to try and focus on his breathing. It wasn’t working. His body was on fire. On a good day, the protest of his residual limbs was annoying. This was like nothing he had ever felt before. Ed’s breathing picked up. The boy choked on a sob. He was scared and in pain, and he was going to die like the others who had been kidnapped without making good on his promise to Al. 

Alphonse. 

That broke Ed. He clenched his teeth while tears mixed with sweat as it ran down his face. His stomach turned. If he died here, Alphonse would be alone with no resources. Ed could feel his chest rising and falling dramatically. He knew he was taking in air, yet he felt out of sync with the process. His stomach flipped, and he threw his head to the right and heaved. The motion had forced his body to curl in on itself. The motion was violently cut off by the chain in his right shoulder. Ed screamed as the pendulum of the chain caused him to slam into the wall. As soon as his raw port hit the wall, he gasped. Pain radiated through his torso. It was more than he could handle. Ed vomited bile onto the ground next to him before he passed out, still dangling by his automail. 

* * *

The next time Ed woke up he had been moved from being chained to the ground to being chained to a chair. It had been made out of concrete using alchemy. He wasn’t in any pain, in fact, he was bordering on euphoria. Whatever drug he was on now had washed away all the aches and pains. His mind was fuzzy. He couldn’t bring himself to be alert, despite fear and anxiety nagging at him deep within his head. The negative thoughts were overpowered by his high. He should probably be afraid for his life, but the fear never came. Instead, he looked around the room he was in. It was different from the one he was in before. It looked to be an alchemy lab. Directly in front of him was a large wooden table with alchemic notes sprawled on them. There were seemingly random stacks of books and scraps of failed transmutation circles all over the table. From what he could tell, the wall behind him was bare. The walls to his right and left were filled with bookshelves and smaller tables with various scientific instruments on them. On the other side of the table a few feet in front of him was where most of the Alchemy lab was. The door to the room he was in was against the wall to his right. Anyone who walked in would be no more than three steps from the main desk. 

There was a man sitting on an office chair in front of the desk. He was focused solely on the information in front of him. After a few minutes, a cook timer rang. The man turned off the timer, straightened his back, and stretched his spine. He scratched at his dark hair and swiveled to face Ed. The man’s hair was an awkward length, just passed his cheekbones, but not quite at his jaw. He had scraggly facial hair that looked like he simply neglected to shave. Gauze was tapped over his left eye. He stood up and began walking over to Ed. He was on the thinner side, middle aged, average height, wearing a white undershirt that was tucked into brown slacks. He made no noise as he moved to Ed. 

“How long have you been awake? You should have been just waking up when the timer went off, but it doesn’t seem like that’s what happened.” The man pulled a pen out of his pocket and grabbed a crumpled piece of paper from the table. He scribbled something down and stuffed both the pen and paper into his pocket. 

“I’m uhhh…” Ed tried to form words, but his brain refused to work. His entire body felt warm and relaxed. He had never felt like this before, not even when he was hopped up on pain meds in the hospital. This was different. 

“Oh goodness, you’re high, of course. Do you like it? It’s from Creta. The effects are absolutely wonderful, but the after effects are such a pain to deal with.”

The man studied the boy in front of him for a moment. 

“Oh! Pardon me for being so rude. You may call me Hercules! You have information I need.” 

Hercules walked back to the desk. To its left were multiple file cabinet units. He opened one and reached inside. When he returned there was a syringe and a vile of clear liquid in his hand. He uncapped the plastic covering on the needle and stuck it in the vile. He turned it upside down and sucked out a dose of the drug. 

“This will counter the mental effects of the drug you’re on, but the high in your body will remain. I’m sure that’s alright with you, considering the state you’re in.” He explained. Ed’s red coat had been lost several hours ago. His black tank top left his left arm bare. Hercules stuck Ed with the needle into the crook of his elbow and administered the drug. 

“That’ll take effect in about half an hour, give or take,” Hercules said with a smile, “I cannot wait to talk to you, Edward Elric.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please let me know how i did! thanks for reading!


	5. Hercules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed finds about more about Hercules, and about what happened to the other victims.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something on the longer side since I have been giving smaller updates! I've been working hard with school, but I am determined to stay dedicated to this story!

It didn’t take long for the counter drug to take effect. Anxiety had grown within him as his mind cleared. His body felt heavy and weak. Overpowering the chains was not an option. He focused on his breathing. He needed to remain calm. His priority right now was to survive long enough to be rescued. His friends would rescue him. 

His captor had walked back to his desk after injecting Edward. The timer’s sound was the final nail on the cross that ended the fuzziness in his head. The man in front of him jumped up excitedly and quickly walked over to Ed with a smile on his face. 

“Let’s see…” He said to himself. His hand made a move towards Ed’s face. The boy instinctively flinched back, but his head soon found the back of the chair. Hercules held open Ed’s right eye with his thumb and clicked on a small flashlight he had dug out of his pocket. He passed the light over it and repeated that action with Ed’s other eye. 

“How are you? Is your mind clear?” Hercules said. He walked over to the other side of the table in front of them and sat down. He pulled a notebook out from under a pile of papers and opened it to a clean page.

“You’re lucky,” He said while writing, “The others didn’t have the luxury of the drug cocktail you’re on now. They got a… prototype. But don’t worry, this version is virtually complete. Please do tell me when it starts to wear off. There’s no need for you to be in pain as long as you cooperate.” 

“R-right…” Ed said. He began running different scenarios in his head. All he needed to do was behave. He would survive long enough to see his brother again. All he had to do was buy time. Could he stall whatever Hercules wanted? Send him down dead ends? There were multiple lies he could tell. And if Mustang taught him anything, the beginning of a good lie was the truth. 

The older man put down his head and leaned forward, focusing all of his attention on the boy in front of him, “A little background information would help, I’m sure.” 

Hercules began to tell Ed how he found himself where he was currently. His wife had died during childbirth five years ago. His infant son had passed only a few months after that due to illness. He had dabbled in alchemy, but nothing too serious. Not until after the death of his family. He said he had traveled the country, educating himself on the subject, until one day he came across notes on human transmutation. An established alchemist in a town he was visiting in West City had passed away. The alchemist had no family, so an estate sale was held. Hercules had gone to the sale and searched the house for any alchemical text that hadn’t already been sold. When an alchemist dies, he explained, their research notes are the first to go. Sold to the upper echelon of alchemists in the city. According to the older man, he had been searching the house top to bottom for signs of alchemy. It hadn’t been easy, but he stumbled across alchemical marks that were incredibly faint in the bedroom. He couldn’t risk drawing attention to himself by moving the wardrobe the marks were behind, so he broke in after hours to investigate. The notes he found were encrypted to look like the ramblings of a senile old man. Grocery lists, opinions on the day-to-day of West City, and even diary entries detailing his mental and physical health. Hercules spent the next month working to decipher the research. It gave him something to do, and the temptation of learning about alchemy that the dead man had intentionally hidden away was too strong to resist. He went on to describe the research. Detailed notes on Human Transmutation. The notes turned a taboo into a possibility. As far as Hercules could tell, the theories in the notes were basically instructions on how to execute it. The research talked about soul transmutation and life alchemy, things the man knew nothing about. So, he continued to travel, learning what he could about biological alchemy. His efforts led him to Shou Tucker, but before he could make it to East City, Tucker was murdered. He worked to find out what had happened, but the details of the murder were kept close by the military police. Eventually, a name arose during his snooping: the Fullmetal Alchemist. A young prodigy who could use alchemy without a transmutation circle. Hercules traveled to Central and bought a house on the outskirts of the city. The Fullmetal Alchemist never stayed in one place for a long time, so he hunkered down and continued his research. He eventually ran into a dead end. He couldn’t keep working theoretically. He needed to start experiments. He started kidnapping people. After he exhausted them as sources of information, he used them to experiment on what he called life-energy alchemy. 

“It was during one of these experiments that I was taken to another reality. I met an otherworldly being there who called himself Truth,” Hercules explained, “He took my left eye, you see. A small price to pay for the knowledge I got in return.” 

The man clapped and pressed his hands into the wood of the desk. There was a flash of blue light. The wood warped and twisted upwards until a single chopstick formed. The small sliver of wood fell over with a faint clatter. Ed’s heart pounded against his ribs. This was bad. If he knew about Truth then- 

“It seems that you, my boy, committed a more serious sin. I lost an eye for toying with a soul, but you, what did _you_ do?” 

A lump formed in Ed’s throat. 

This was bad. This guy was unhinged. Taking a human life meant was just another part of his experiments. Ed took in a deep breath. He wanted Ed’s story. He could give that to him. He could make that stretch. All he had to do was buy time and live. 

“All I wanted to do was see my mother smile again.” Ed said, his voice horse. He began with his family. His father had walked out and his mother died in the Eastern Epidemic. He sidetracked the story, inserting some stories about his childhood, including the one about how he came to discover alchemy. That led him to describe the books in his father’s study. What he learned, how he and his brother worked to decipher the research. It wasn’t hard, the books were just written in their father’s native language. He never learned what the language was, but it definitely wasn’t from any of the countries bordering Amestris. The language he and his brother were taught before his father left was barely enough to get them started on translating them. When they did as much as they could, they asked their mother about it. Under the guise of being curious about their father, they asked their mother about the language he had taught them. She told them that their father had filled a notebook full of information about the language for her to use, they were allowed to read it if they wanted to. Ed continued to talk about what he remembered about his father’s research. What he used to teach himself alchemy, what he struggled with, what came easy to him, what his first transmutation was like, and even talked about the numerous failures and stupid mistakes he and his brother made. Everytime his younger brother was involved in the story, he lied to make it seem like he was not important. No one to pay attention to. Ed talked about when the village flooded and an alchemist had saved them. She became his teacher, and taught Edward alchemy. He talked about what training with his teacher was like. Her brutal methods, her intense classes, and her high expectations. He also talked about her kindness, her compassion and love, expressed in her own way. He explained her teacher’s illness, lying about the true cause by saying she was simply sickly and fell ill often. He didn’t know exactly how long he was talking. If he had to guess, he was probably on the edge of two hours since he started. As long as Hercules was still engaged, still taking notes and reacting quietly to Ed’s stories, he would keep talking. When it came time to talk about his attempted human transmutation, he changed the story. In the version Ed told, his brother had helped him draw the array and put together the ingredients.

When it came time to activate the transmutation, he alone did it. His brother had nothing to do with the actual act of sin. He glossed over the gate and moved on to tell him how his right arm and left leg were taken from him. He told Hercules that Alphonse had run over to their grandmother’s house to get help. Ed changed the name of Pinako and Winry, and instead of family friends, they were his mother’s mother and niece. He recounted his journey of recovery. He explained the process of healing an amputated limb, how he had to have surgery again after the quick fix stitching had done a good enough job. They had to smooth out the sharp ends of his remaining bones and move around his muscles to give his residual limbs flesh on the ends of them. Feeling in Ed’s body had started to return over the course of the story, but by the end of it the pain was starting to visibly affect him. It took longer for him to find his words, and his pain threshold was reaching its limit. That was saying something, considering nerve connection was nothing more than an inconvenience. Sure, it hurt like hell, but he had gotten so used to it that he could still be functional enough to use his brain. The drug was wearing off fast. His muscles tensed as its potency decreased. He tried to finish his story, but was cut off as a wave of tension took control of his body. His injured screamed at him. He slumped his head forward and gasped, swinging his heel into the concrete chair as a response. 

Hercules studied Ed as pain returned to him. He looked at his watch and wrote something down. If Ed had to guess, the prick was probably taking notes on how Ed processed whatever drugs he was giving him. 

“I can’t give you anymore painkillers today, unfortunately. They don’t mix well with high doses of the Cretan drug, and I don’t have the supplies here to save you from an overdose.” Hercules stood up from the table and walked back to the filing cabinet, “I suppose we are done for the day, well, night if you think about it, but I guess it doesn’t matter too much. As long as research is being done, time is irrelevant, don’t you agree?” 

Hercules walked over with a clean towel in his hand. It reeked of the same chemicals Ed was exposed too when he first was kidnapped. Ed tried to remain calm, but his heart raced in his chest and his breathing was picking up. He reflexively pulled his head away from the rag, but Hercules had grabbed him by the back of the head and pressed the rad to his nose and mouth. In less than ten seconds, Edward was unconscious again. 

* * *

He woke up in a new place. It wasn’t the first concrete room from before, no, Ed quickly realized that there were other people in this room with him. It reeked of sick bodies and old blood. He was bound differently this time. His wrist was the only thing chained, and he had about two feet of lead. Before he could comprehend anything else, pain took control of his psyche. His body tensed and shivered and noticed it was covered in sweat, if he had to guess he’d say he was developing a fever. Was it an infection? Is that how he was going to die? No. He had to live. He had to survive this. He laid on his back and focused on his breathing. He had been doing that a lot lately. As he took in deep breaths he thought about his mother who had taught him how to calm himself down. 

“Easy, Edward. Breathe in with me.” Trisha would say. She would exaggerate a deep breath, and he would follow. His breaths would be filled with sobs and hiccups as he followed his mother’s instructions. When his mother was satisfied, she would pull him into a hug and pet his hair. Ed remembered breathing deeply into his mother's shirt. She always smelled like home. Grass, and lavender & lemon soap. Their neighbors made it to sell and had asked his mother to grow different herbs while they tested different formulas. Ed and Al had been roped into the testing as well. Al’s favorite had been chamomile and vanilla. It was cream colored, and had ground tea leaves in the bar itself. He had liked how the vanilla wasn’t overpowering, and how it made the chamomile just a bit sweeter. Ed had liked it too, but he had chosen tree moss and cedar. The soap itself had been a weird moss color. The color was enriched with a deep green dye by the time it had been sent out. He had loved how his soap smelled like the outdoors after the rain. That period of time when there was a cool breeze and the clouds threatened to cry again. Out of all the scents they tried, Ed’s favorite was his mother’s. It just smelled _right._ He remembered when he tried the soap on himself one day. It didn’t have the same effect, in fact, he couldn’t even smell it when he used it. Looking back, it was probably because his brain got used to the scent and didn’t pay much attention to it after that. But at times when Ed had gotten upset at one thing or another, it was one of the things that grounded him. When his mother pulled him into a tight hug and cooed to him. He missed his mother dearly. 

After he had calmed down he opened his eyes and sat up. He was sore from the concrete, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall behind him. 

“Hey…” He croaked. His throat was incredibly dry. The skin around his nose and mouth was well on its way to becoming chapped. He waited for a beat, listening, waiting for someone to respond to him. 

“Is anyone here… alive?” Ed’s voice wavered, “Please…” 

“ ‘M alive. Two ‘thers ‘ere too. Drgs. ‘M srry.” A voice slurred. 

Ed released the breath he had been holding. Relief washed over him. Not a second behind it came the slow throb of his injuries. He was exhausted. He tried his best to settle comfortably on the floor. He ended up on his stomach with his left arm supporting his head. It would have to do for now. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Time would move quickly while he was unconscious anyway. 

The sound of a door opening scared him awake. He had no idea how long he was out for, but it felt like he had just closed his eyes a second ago. The lights flashed on, temporarily blinding him. He was able to get his first look at the room he had been put in hours prior when his eyes became used to the light. 

It was a completely concrete room. A line of rectangular lamps ran down the center of the ceiling. The man in the doorway was not the person Ed had met previously. An accomplice, then. Another person he had to play mental chess with. He was taller than Hercules and had a body type similar to Breda’s. There were four other captives in the room with him. He recognized two of them as the most recent victims. The vet, who was once a portly middle aged man, had lost a significant amount of weight. His groomed grey hair and beard had become shaggy during his time here. Ed noticed he was missing part of his left hand. A bandage covered where his pointer and thumb should be. It was like someone had cut off his hand at an angle. The alchemist that was working with automail mechanics had lost his right ear somehow. His missing person’s photo had shown a fit young man around Mustang’s age. He had also lost a significant amount of weight, and his blond hair was caked in grease and blood. He was missing both his pinkies and thumbs at the knuckle. His face was decorated with bruises. His right eye was swollen shut. Both men wore dirty undershirts and boxers. The man who had turned on the lights began setting buckets down near everyone in the room. Ed followed him with his eyes. He set a bucket down next to a girl he didn’t recognize right away. She was one of the female victims. She was in her late 30s if he had to guess. Her brown hair had been cut short, and there were bandages wrapped around her neck. She was missing her left foot. The bandages around the stump were clean. Everyone’s were, Ed was now noticing. His captors had been keeping them alive, despite the pain they were causing. The man left and returned with a cart with a soup pot on it. He gave everyone a portion of what looked and smelled like potato leek soup and a cup of water. He then walked over to the fourth person in the room, another woman. She had been laying with her face towards the wall the entire time. She looked younger than the others. Her black hair was matted in places. There was a blood stain on her lower back.

“Oi.” The man said. He gave her a nudge with his foot. Nothing. He bent down and flipped her onto her back. Her face was ashen. The skin surrounding her eyes had been scratched off. From the looks of it, the poor girl had gouged out her own eyes. Her jaw had locked open. The other woman gasped and began to weep quietly when she saw the other girl. The two captive men lowered their heads. The man checked for pulse, then shook his head. He sighed and lugged the body over his shoulder. He pushed the cart with one hand and walked out of the room. The door was locked behind him. 

Ed’s body screamed at him when he tried to move. His ports were tender to the touch, and his fever hadn’t gone down. He gingerly moved himself forward until the bowl of food was in arms reach. He immediately took the cup and downed half the glass. It was hard to stop himself from drinking the entire thing, but he needed to save some for later. There was no telling how long it would be until they fed him again. Using the tip of his finger, he tested the temperature of the food. It was too hot for him to hold the bowl and drink from it, so he carefully moved himself and the food back towards the wall so that he could lean against it while he waited. He looked at the others, they had done the same. They all sat up against the wall as they ate. 

“What’s your name, son?” The vet said. Ed recognized it as the voice who had spoken up before he had fallen asleep. 

“Edward Elric.” Ed said with strain. Nerve pain radiated throughout his ports. Phantom pain made his missing limbs feel as though they were on fire. He was still running a fever, too.

“I’m Kornet.” He said. He pronounced it as core-nay. He pointed to the woman, “Her name is Ariete, and his name is Jackson.” 

“What could Hercules and Cain possibly want from a child?” The woman said morosely. Seeing a child in such a miserable place made her heart ache. 

Ed paused for a moment to think. There was no benefit in lying to these people. Besides, their captors already knew who he was anyway. He had to start laying down the foundation for his lies before it got too late. Mustang's voice rang in his head, ' _A good lie begins with the truth'._

“I'm a State Alchemist, the Fullmetal Alchemist.” He said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: i’ve written and continue to write most of this fic while shmacked late at night lmaoo it's currently 3:14am but it's chill because my classes start at 12:30 tomorrow


	6. Missing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphonse realizes his brother has gone missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY EVERYONE! QUICK UPDATE:  
> I have up to chapter 8 drafted, and I certainly plan on finishing this fic, but I tend to only write during depressive episodes lmao. Hopefully that will change. Everyone's comments keep me motivated! I'm also a full time college student, so that can also effect the timeliness of chapters. Thank you all for being so patient! I'm sorry the chapters aren't as long as some other fics- please tell me if they should be longer and I'll work on making them longer! I am a fiend for constructive criticism. 
> 
> I don't have a beta reader so I try to retroactively fix mistakes when I see something that slips through the cracks. Thank you to everyone who continues to read despite the stupid mistakes! Please don't hesitate to tell me when something is messed up! 
> 
> We get to see Roy’s house in this one! I based off this floorplan: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/359936195192826753/

Al had called his brother at 10pm to tell him to come home. 

"You need to come rest, brother. Don’t make me come get you!” Alphonse had scolded.

“Alright, alright. You win, Al. I’ll start packing up now. I’ll see you soon, bye.” Ed said.

Al had hung up the phone and waited. Half an hour passed, then an hour, then two. He sighed and walked to go get Ed. He assumed that his brother had simply gotten swept up in his work. He probably didn’t even realize it had been two hours since Al had called him. 

Al explained to the guards the situation. Luckily for him, they knew who he was. It wasn’t uncommon for new officers to try and stop Alphonse from entering government buildings without Ed verifying that they were together. Alphonse passed the empty receptionist desk and walked into Hughes’s office. The initial room was empty, so he ventured into the inner office. Empty. Anxiety rose in Alphonse’s throat. He told himself that he probably had missed Ed when he left to get him. He rushed out of the building and made his way to a pay phone. He opened the door to the booth and fished out a coin from the pouch he kept inside his chest plate. There was no way he could fit in the booth. He hoped that the phone cord was long enough to reach him. He pressed himself into the booth and dialed Hughes’s house. Gracia answered the phone on the third ring. His fears were confirmed: Edward hadn’t made it to the house. Alphonse didn’t let his anxiety fill his voice. He couldn’t worry Gracia or Hughes. According to Mustang, Hughes had overworked himself lately, and the stress had caused him to suffer a seizure. Al couldn’t burden him with this. He asked Gracia for Mustang’s address. He explained it away by saying that Ed had been planning to consult Mustang on some alchemy research, and was over there bothering him now. Any anxiousness in his speech would hopefully be confused for guilt that his brother was being a nuisance. He thanked Gracia, wished his excuse would be solid enough, and hung up the phone.

Alphonse raced to Mustang’s house. There was no way he was going to find Ed in Central all by himself. Anxiety took over his train of thought. He was scared. If something bad happened to Ed then- no. He couldn’t start down that path. He couldn’t get lost in what-ifs. He had to focus on the present. His anxiety became an issue when his mother passed, and had only gotten worse the more time he spent trapped in armor. There were times where he got lost in his head at night, only able to worry and ponder about what might happen if things were to go wrong. He had told Hawkeye about his troubles one night when Ed was in the hospital. She had stopped by after work before going home to check on them both. 

“It happens to me too,” She said, “I just have to tell myself that those are just thoughts, that nothing bad has happened. Then I only look at the facts and remind myself that everyone is safe.” 

Al didn’t have the luxury of knowing if his brother was safe. He rehearsed what to tell Mustang as he ran down the road where the older man lived. He finally reached the Colonel’s house. A small red brick townhouse with a puny yard that was split down the center by a walkway leading up to the door. A black car was parked on a driveway next to the house. Alphonse approached the door and gave it three loud knocks. It was well past midnight at this point. He shoved down the guilt of waking up Mustang. This was arguably more important. Ed was missing. Now was a perfect time for him to be selfish for once. He waited a moment before knocking again. 

“Mustang! It’s Alphonse! Please open the door!” He called. He hoped the Colonel heard him, he didn’t want to break into the man’s house.

Thankfully the door opened after another moment. Roy looked exhausted, but not drowsy, from the other side of the door. The older man’s hair looked like he had run his hands through it multiple times, and he was wearing a white undershirt and grey lounge pants that pooled around his ankles. 

“Ed is missing.” 

All of Roy’s attention suddenly snapped and focused on Alphonse, “Come in.”

Roy’s house was sparsely decorated. The kitchen was the first room into the house. It was to the left of Al as soon as he walked in. The open design of the house meant he could easily see into the living room past the kitchen. He followed Mustang deeper into his home. He passed a staircase on his left before entering the living room. Alphonse never wondered what Roy’s house looked like. It was strange. The table to his left that was meant for eating meals on housed a huge stack of books and a lesser stack of file folders. There was evidence of takeout on the table as well. The chair in the far left corner held a small pile of laundry on it’s seat, and the coffee table directly in front of him had more papers, a pen, his ignition gloves and silver pocket watch, and an empty bottle of alcohol with a short glass next to it. Against the right wall was the couch. It was obvious to Al that it was probably where Mustang had been sleeping before he had woken him up. A white pillow and quilt had been shoved to one side of it haphazardly. Roy grabbed a piece of paper from the coffee table and glanced at it. After deciding it wasn’t anything too important, he grabbed a pen and handed them to Alphonse. 

“Sit and write down everything you know about Ed’s last whereabouts. I’m going to go make some calls.” Mustang ordered.

Al wrote down everything he could remember. It wasn’t a lot, but hopefully it would help at least a little. He heard Mustang speak the names of his team into the phone. Everyone was getting involved in the hunt for his missing subordinate. After Roy was finished with gathering his team, he walked into the living room and walked over to the pile of laundry. 

“Tell me what you wrote, Alphonse.” Roy said, picking up a black sweater from the pile and putting it on. He continued to get ready to go out as the boy read what he had written down. Mustang bent down and rolled up his pant legs so that they were no longer dragging at his ankles. He walked over to the kitchen table and picked up the discarded work boots and socks from earlier that day and put them on. When he was finished he walked over to the coffee table and stuffed his watch and gloves into the deep pockets of the pants. 

“The team is currently looking for him in different sections of the city,” Roy stated, “We’re going to search this area and then meet them at headquarters in two hours.” 

They walked out of the house. Roy took the lead and started walking down a street that led them back into a more public part of the city. 

“We’ll find him.” 


	7. Stolen Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mustang's guilt; Edward's breaking point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! it's been a while! I'm catching myself writing to cope with isolation, so I put some of that energy into continuing this story!   
> I don't have a beta reader so I try to retroactively fix mistakes when I see something that slips through the cracks. Thank you to everyone who continues to read despite the stupid mistakes! Please don't hesitate to tell me when something is messed up!

“Wake up, Colonel.” 

Roy stirred. The man was slumped over on his desk, his head rested in his arms. 

“Roy.” 

Mustang shot up and took in a deep breath through his nose. A wave of nausea washed over him, causing him to fall from his office chair onto the floor and heave into the waste basket under his desk. After a minute he finally managed to vomit up something. He sighed, sat back, and wiped his lips with his sleeve. His head was pounding. That pain had become all too familiar recently. He felt Riza’s hand run circles into his back. They stayed like that for some time while Roy tried to sober himself up. It had been a rough night. He had stayed late at the office to work on the case, and at some point Roy had decided to have a drink. He didn’t remember much after that. Today marked three months since his subordinate went missing. He blamed himself, Hughes felt responsible, and his team was beginning to lose hope. The first 24 hours of a missing person is crucial. After that, the chance of finding them alive dropped dramatically. It had been 2,190 hours since Edward Elric was last seen alive. How were they supposed to cope with that? 

Riza grabbed her superior under the arm and helped him up. He swayed and quickly slammed his hand on his desk to steady himself. If he was being honest with himself, he was still drunk. 

If he was being honest. 

He took in a deep breath through his mouth and pushed down another threatening wave of nausea. Roy stood up straight, tried to smooth out his hair and clothes, and silently walked out of his inner office. His team had already started to begin their work for the day, and if they heard anything from inside Mustang’s office, they didn’t say anything. He quietly walked past them and left the room, shutting the door behind him. This behavior was rare, but not unfamiliar to the team. In the past it was caused when something had happened that reminded Mustang of Ishval, then when Hughes was shot, and now it was his missing subordinate. He had stayed strong through most of the investigation, but they all knew that his facade would only last so long. It just happened that today, or rather last night, was the breaking point. Roy walked over to the barracks and took advantage of the communal showers. He stood under the cold water and tried to get a hold of himself. He couldn’t. He let himself sink to the floor. He felt disgusting. The Elric brothers had been his responsibility. He let both of them down. He thought about Alphonse. Pain and guilt swelled in his chest. The poor boy wasn’t allowed anywhere near the case. They couldn’t do anything about it- he wasn’t a part of the military, never mind the fact that Edward didn’t want Alphonse to be involved in the first place. All Al knew was that his only surviving family member had gone missing. The boy had stayed with Hughes while the mission to find his brother got off the ground, but after a month of no leads, they made the hard decision to send Al back to Resembool. Since Ed wasn’t officially dead, his brother had no way of accessing his finances. Without an income, Al couldn’t even search for a Philosopher's Stone on his own. Mustang’s team wished him a solemn goodbye and promised to call as soon as they had any news. 

Mustang let the cold water pound at his back until it went numb. Eventually, he stood up. His legs felt weak underneath him, but he forced himself to continue standing. Roy didn’t bother with soap, instead he haphazardly scrubbed his body with his hands. Before turning off the faucet, he filled his mouth with water and swished it around in a desperate attempt to clean his mouth at least somewhat. When he finished with his shower, he dried himself off with a towel and forced his uniform back onto his still damp body. He began his journey back to his office. The man ran through the facts of the case in his head. Another body had turned up since Fullmetal’s disappearance. All of the bodies had been dumped in the same area of the city, which happened to be on the other side of where all the victims were from. The location of their villain was still unknown. Mustang had enlisted the help of his Aunt’s expansive intelligence network. Madame Christmas had been sending Roy’s “sisters” to other bars to gather as much information as they could. Slowly, they had started a list of suspects. Local alchemists who hinted at something more sinister in their conversations with women who they deemed too stupid to actually know a thing or two about alchemy. They truly didn’t, in reality, but Mustang had given them all training on key words they should look out for. Any alchemist that the women ran into who talked about biological alchemy or studying the texts of scholars who had written about human and soul transmutation were a potential suspect. The information the girls gathered was paramount to the investigation, but getting to this point had taken a substantial amount of time. The girls had their own work to worry about. Helping out with the case had been through volunteering themselves on their own time. They were guaranteed safety by “going home” with a different undercover officer every time they went out. 

Mustang entered the office and faced his team. Now was not the time to address the state he had been found in that morning. 

“Lieutenant,” He said, turning to his right hand, “What’s on the agenda today?”

* * *

Ed had quickly become savvy to the routine he and his fellow captors were subject too. Every morning they would be woken up by Cain, the burly man who for whatever reason was Hercules’s partner in all of this. Ed suspected that the man was simply a sadistic bastard who wanted to reap the benefits of Hercules’s research. According to him, their meals were dictated by how cooperative they as a group had been that day. In reality, it was based on how useful they had been. Cain carried out the dirty work. He was the one who had screwed posts into Ed’s ports. 

The first few weeks had been hard for Ed. The others had told him to just cooperate, that it was how they had survived thus far. Early on, Ed’s conviction had kept his lips tight, only letting enough information through that would prevent him from being killed, but Hercules was smart. He knew Ed knew more than he was letting on, so he employed a tactic for getting information that had been successful with the other victims - pain. The boy had been naive in thinking the drug cocktail he had been fed when he first arrived wouldn’t have any adverse effects. He had learned from the others that the Cretan drug was a cheap opioid that caused horrible withdrawal. The young woman who had died when Ed first arrived had clawed out her own eyes during it. Hercules turned it into a tool to break his other victims, and it had been Ed’s turn to suffer the same fate until Hercules got what he wanted- a mess of a human that was desperate enough for survival that they abandoned their morals and submitted to his wishes. When he wasn’t needed, Edward was a heaping mess of withdrawal and pain. There was always an injury that either was new or still healing, and his nerve pain was chronic. To cope, he withdrew into his mind. He would replay good memories from his childhood over and over again until they fused together and became a new memory. It hadn’t actually happened, but pretending they did made everything easier. By the end of the first month, Hercules had succeeded in breaking Edward Elric. 

The remaining woman, Ariete, died during Ed’s second month as a prisoner. It had been his fault. The cycle of being dragged to Hercules’s study by Cain, getting strapped to the concrete chair, being injected with the drug cocktail that flooded his body with relief and cleared his mind, and discussing theories with the alchemist had run its course. Hercules had progressively gotten more erratic. Frustrated with the state of his research, he demanded that Ed tell him everything he knew right there, on the spot. The boy couldn’t allow that to happen. Once he was out of information he would be killed. He resisted.

“Give me your knowledge on the Philosopher’s Stone, Edward Elric. I know you’ve been holding back from me.” Hercules grunted as he twisted a peg into Ed’s shoulder port. All the boy felt was pressure and the warmth of blood oozing down his torso thanks to the Cretan Opioid, but he knew that he was in for a world of pain if he couldn’t get Hercules to stop. He had no clue how long they had been playing this back and forth game, but it was clear to Ed that he was losing horribly. Something had to give soon, or he might not survive this.

“I’ve told you” Ed started. Why? Why why why why why did he deny Hercules again? If his head was clearer he would have seen that his rejection was no more than a knee-jerk reaction, that pushing back against the oppressor was just in Ed’s nature, and he was going to die because of it. 

“BULLSHIT!” Hercules screamed, “If you don’t want to tell me by your own volition, so be it.” 

Hercules sped to the all-too-familiar filing cabinet that held doses of the drugs he fed to his victims. The man walked back and violently stabbed Ed in the neck with a syringe. 

“Pure high. Think of it as a truth serum. Don’t you worry, I won’t let this kill you, but I’m certain that after this wears off you’ll wish you were dead.” Hercules chuckled and took his seat at the table that had remained constant all this time. 

The drug started to take effect after about 20 seconds. The base of his skull buzzed while his pain was washed away. If these had been the usual mix of drugs, there would have been an underlying fogginess, but this concoction had been perfected. He almost felt like nothing had ever happened. The emotions that were burning in him had been subdued. He felt as if he were in a womb. He was warm and safe and without pain. It was a welcome break from the two months of agony he had been through. He became enveloped in its effects. For the first time in two months, Ed fell asleep- to the sound of his voice. 

Ed remembered hearing himself talk. He remembered closing his eyes, only to find that an hour had passed when he opened them. He remembered the transmutation circle Hercules started drafting and the sound of his own voice. He remembered the doctor’s intense stare after one of Ed’s explanations. 

He was in a room now, one he had never been in before. They were still in the basement and judging by how the room itself looked, it was safe to assume it had been recently alchemized. The only thing in the room was an alchemical desk and- 

A transmutation circle.  His consciousness snapped awake. He was strapped to another alchemized stone chair. He tested his restraints and was immediately hit with a wave of excruciating pain. The straps against his chest and leg made his injuries scream. His left arm had been left free, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach any of the buckles or locks. His shoulder and leg port felt hot and swollen. The pain in his ports radiated inwards, stabbing at his remaining tissue and bone. He sat back in the chair and closed his eyes. He was freezing and covered in sweat. His head pounded behind his eyes- a migraine. Every fiber of his being was pain. His breath caught in his throat and he stifled a cry. He started to hyperventilate. His stomach flipped and threatened to burn his throat with bile. He opened his eyes and tried to focus on anything but the agony. His eyes fell to the floor. He started to read the array in front of him. A faint memory scratched the back of his mind, he had seen those exact glyphs once before. They were from _that_ night. Nausea crashed over him as he realized what he was looking at- a human transmutation circle. Edward gagged and threw his head forward. His stomach lurched and forced bile up his throat. He vomited on his lap and gasped for air. Hercules was going to see Truth, and he was going to sacrifice someone as his payment. Vomit forced its way out of Ed’s stomach once again. Pins and needles attacked his body. It was too much. Edward let out a cry as his eyes rolled back and he slumped against the chair. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> I don't have a beta reader so I try to retroactively fix mistakes when I see something that slips through the cracks. Thank you to everyone who continues to read despite the stupid mistakes! Please don't hesitate to tell me when something is messed up!


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